Heartbreak Highway 1 (8 page)

“I’m sorry Marshall, but your grandfather was crazy.” Eva and Marshall had both said those same words about Granddad, but somehow, coming from the lips of someone who didn’t love him they sounded hateful and insulting.

“Don’t talk about him like that!” Eva told her. Simone dismissed her with a roll of her eyes and toss of her long, dark hair as she said,

“Did you read this all the way through?” she asked Marshall.

“No, we were just kind of winging it. That was supposed to be the point of the trip.”

“He has you going through the Appalachian’s and then to Dollywood! Are you freaking kidding me? Dollywood? Really?”

Eva could see Marshall’s face in the rearview mirror. She saw his lips quirk in an upward slope as he said, “I like Dolly Parton.”

Simone let out a low growl and said, “Your silly obsession with listening to country music is one thing, but a theme park named after a big-haired, big busted bottle blonde is going too far. It’s in Pigeon Forge Tennessee for crying out loud, how hillbilly is that?”

Marshall kept his eyes on the road as he said, “If it’s on the itinerary, we’re doing it. I think it’ll be fun.”

Simone sat back in the seat and folded her arms in a huff. Eva’s pleasant smile from earlier that day found its way back to her face.

Chapter 9

T
hey arrived at the Biltmore Estate just before noon. The drive up to the estate was paved along the original carriage route that served the property in the old days and the road was flanked by trees and bushes in early stages of transforming into their gorgeous fall colors.

“Oh my goodness, look, it’s a deer!” Eva cried out when she spotted a small doe looking out at them from behind one of the trees. Marshall looked at it and smiled, Simone didn’t seem the least bit impressed. A few minutes later Eva squealed again…. “It’s a turkey!”

That time Simone sighed loudly. Eva opened her mouth to say something to her, but closed it again. She wasn’t going to let the other woman’s negative attitude ruin this for her. The three and a half mile ride was gorgeous and if Simone didn’t see the beauty and wonder in any of it, then Eva thought that was sadly, her loss.

When they got to the ticket booth they were given pamphlets to help them through the self-guided main house tour. There was no timeline for the walk-through, but they were told to allow themselves at least two hours in order to be able to see it all thoroughly.

They started on the main floor, Eva wanted to look at everything and Simone tried to hurry them along. Poor Marshall seemed torn between the two of them and although Eva wasn’t seeking his attention, he seemed interested in the same things in the house that she was. Unfortunately, every time the two of them tried to look more closely at something together, Simone would grab Marshall by the arm and lure him away somehow.

They worked their way all the way up to the fourth floor. It was a great work-out, but the only complaint that Eva had was that they weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. There were so many beautiful things that she’d love to have photos of. She told herself that she’d just have to take a snapshot of it all in her mind. She would have to edit Simone out of all the shots thought; she couldn’t seem to get a good picture in her head without the raven haired nymph photo-bombing it.

When they finished the house, almost two hours later, they headed out to the stables where there was a restaurant and shopping. Eva would have loved to spend more time inside the house, but Simone had started her incessant whining about an hour into the tour and neither Eva nor Marshall could take it any longer. When she heard there was shopping in the stables, her entire demeanor changed.

The Stable Café had large, comfortable booths that were made from the former horse stalls. George Vanderbilt had spared no expense on his horses and the roomy stables and tack house allowed plenty of room for a beautiful, comfortable restaurant and chic little shops. The booths in the restaurants were former horse stalls and when Eva remarked about how cool she thought that was, Simone said,

“It’s just a restaurant.”

Eva was about to comment when Marshall suddenly said,

“You have to look deeper, Simone.” Surprised and delighted, Eva grinned and hid behind her menu as she listened to what happened next.

“Look deeper?” Simone said, sarcastically. “What does that even mean?”

“Just what I said. This used to be a huge stable, filled with horses and carriages and tack rooms and farm offices. Think about all of the people who worked here, the horses that were born and died here…it’s so much more than just a restaurant.”

Simone rolled her eyes and looked at Eva. “I think the two of you have gone as crazy as the old man.”

“Stop talking about him that way,” Marshall told her.

“I’m not saying anything that you yourself wouldn’t say….or Eva for that matter.”

“It’s different,” he told Simone, again delighting Eva.

“How?”

It was as if he’d read Eva’s mind earlier in the day when he said, “Because Eva and I loved him. When we say it, it’s with endearment. When you say it….well, it’s just mean.”

Simone was quiet after that through lunch, only coming alive when they finished and made it to the shops where of course she talked Marshall into spending a ton of money on her. She didn’t seem offended that the jewelry shops were located in a barn. She was even willing to accept a pair of diamond stud earrings that Marshall bought for her, after she pointed them out, of course.

Their next tour was of the Historic Farm Village. The village had been the center of life for the estate workers in the earlier history of the estate. Simone dragged Marshall off to the shops the village sported now as Eva spent her time watching blacksmiths, woodworkers and other craftsmen demonstrate their skills. She walked through the corn bale maze and the petting zoo even though she seemed to be the only adult there without children. She looked at the display of old farm equipment and sampled frozen treats at the creamery. When Marshall and Simone found her, she was in line for the hay ride.

Marshall tried to lead Simone into the line but she held back saying,

“No way! I paid a hundred and forty dollars for these jeans. I’m not sitting on a clapboard trailer covered in hay in them.”

Marshall once again looked torn. As he was trying to decide what to do, Simone sidled up next to him and slipped her arms around him. Stepping up on her toes, she pressed her mouth to his. Eva saw Marshall look at her before she turned her head away. Simone got her way and when Eva got back from her hayride with a phone full of pictures, they were waiting on one of the metal benches for her.

“Finally!” Simone said when she saw her. Marshall shot Simone a look and asked Eva,

“Was it fun?”

“It was,” she said with a smile. “There were more deer along the trail and wild turkeys. The landscape is incredible. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“The landscaping is pretty. Maybe we could copy some of it along the backside of Granddad’s estate,” he told her as they walked towards the tram that would take them back to their car.

“I’m sure now that Henry is gone, Eva will find more interesting things to do than hang around that stuffy old house,” Simone said. “Besides, if you’re going to make upgrades, the inside is what needs updating.”

“I love the interior of the house. Granny did it all herself. She had a great eye for that sort of thing,” Eva said.

“Yes, If you’re a seventy year old southern woman, it’s fine,” Simone told her. Then she hooked her arm through Marshall’s and said, “You know, it would probably cost about the same to tear it down and build a new, modern one as it would to fix that old house up.”

Marshall stopped walking and looked hard at her. “That house was my home for my entire life, Simone. I would never think about tearing it down. Besides, you’re getting way ahead of us here. We haven’t gone to the reading of the will yet. He may have left the house to Eva.” They were stepping off the tram as he said that and Simone looked appalled. She took the hand he held out to her and stepped off into the dirt. She made a face about that too and shook off her designer shoes before saying,

“That would be terrible if Henry did that. After all, you just said it was your home. No offense Eva, but even though Henry felt bad for the way….well, you know….your mother and all of that….blood should run a lot deeper.”

Marshall stopped walking again. “Simone, knock it off, please.”

“What? I said, ‘No offense’.”

Marshall laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was like he was frustrated about trying to make her see things like a normal person should as he said, “You can’t just say, “no offense” and then say whatever you want to. People still get offended if you say ugly things.”

Simone looked shocked at the way Marshall was speaking to her. She proved that she wasn’t a fast learner however by going on to say,

“I wasn’t saying anything ugly. I was only stating the truth, right Eva?”

Eva couldn’t believe the gall of this woman. She wasn’t worth the energy it would take to fight with her though as far as Eva was concerned. She just rolled her eyes and said,

“Let’s go back to the cabin. We got up really early this morning. I’d like to take a nap.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Marshall said. The drive back was quiet until they pulled into the complex and Eva said,

“I’m going to go in the office and see if they have any available rooms.”

“Why?” Marshall said, “There are two beds in our cabin.”

Simone and Eva both looked at him like he was crazy then. Eva spoke first saying, “I think it would be better for the two of you to have some privacy.” Marshall looked like he was going to say something but Simone interrupted him by saying,

“That’s real nice of you, Eva. Thank you.” Marshall left it alone then, likely just glad they had found at least one thing to agree on.

* * *

Eva was able to get a cabin for the night. It was at the end of the same row that she and Marshall’s cabin had been in. She went with Marshall and Simone into “their” cabin to pick up her things. As Eva gathered her stuff up she heard Simone say,

“Kind of roughing it, huh? You may as well have just pitched a tent.”

“We still could, if you’d like. There are a lot of sporting goods stores around here….we could run to town and get some equipment before it gets dark,” Marshall told her.

Simone laughed as if she thought Marshall was making a great joke. Eva was wishing now more than ever that they would have camped out. Maybe then, Simone wouldn’t have been able to find them at all.

Marshall helped her carry her suitcases to her new cabin. Once inside he sat the suitcase down and said, “Are you sure about this? I don’t like you way down here all by yourself.”

She smiled, no matter how annoyed she was with his girlfriend; she still loved her best friend.

“I’m a big girl, Marshall. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” he relented, “What are we doing tonight?”

“I think Simone has designs on you taking her out to a club or something.”

“I know that’s not really your thing though. What do you want to do tonight?”

“I think I’d just like to stay around here and relax. There are a few nice trails I saw in the brochures. I think I’ll get up early and take a hike before we leave for Tennessee.”

“At the risk of sounding like Simone, that sounds hideously boring,” he told her with a smile.

Eva grinned and said, “Lucky then, that I’m not Simone. It sounds restful and enticing to me.”

Marshall opened up his arms and out of habit and need, Eva folded herself into them. He hugged her for a few seconds and then kissed her on top of her head. “We’re probably going to take a nap before we go out. Call us if you change your mind.”

“I will,” she told him. She wasn’t going to change her mind. The thought of spending an evening watching Simone get drunk and climb all over Marshall in public made her a little bit sick to her stomach.

After Marshall left her alone, Eva took out her phone and pulled up her Facebook. Helen had left her another message, it said:

“How was the Biltmore?”

“It was amazing.”
Eva responded back.

“Great, any pictures?”

“I took a few outside the house, and Simone insisted I take some of her and Marshall. I’ll post them soon.”

“How’s it going with Simone?”

“Not great. I have such a hard time tolerating her. I want to go home to be honest.”

“Oh dear. Please don’t do that. Henry would be so disappointed.”

“I know it’s the only thing that’s keeping me going.”

“Hang in there, sweetie. Don’t let her steal your thunder.”

That was another one of Henry’s favorite sayings. Eva smiled and replied back,

“I’m trying. Thank you, Helen. Talking to you helps me deal with not having Henry to talk to anymore. I’m afraid I’m going to be lost without his advice.”

“He was so proud of you, Eva. He told me that you were one of the smartest, most capable women he’d ever known.”

“Really?”

“Really, honey. Promise me you’ll hang in there for as long as you can.”

“I promise,”
Eva told her. After she finished her conversation with Helen, she posted the pictures of Marshall and Simone. Marshall was so handsome and Simone so beautiful, they looked great together, like models out of a magazine or something. It made Eva even more depressed. She put the phone down and curling up into a fetal position on the bed, she cried herself to sleep.

Chapter 10

E
va passed Marshall’s cabin on her way to the visitor’s center first thing the next morning. She wasn’t sure if he and Simone had gone out the night before or not. She’d fallen asleep after her cry and woke up sometime after dark. She’d wandered down to the little café and gotten herself a sandwich and after eating it, she’d lain in bed watching television until she fell asleep again. She couldn’t see the parking lot from their side of the cabins and she hadn’t heard from Marshall, so she didn’t know what they had ended up doing. The truth was she hadn’t wanted to think about it anyways.